Good works for idle hands
by evenhisfacewasanalias
Summary: A sweet little excerpt from my larger fic "Work for idles hands to do" (rated M) that stands on its own. Lucifer helping Chloe with a case, which ends up with them both trapped in a closet together.
The sound of approaching footsteps gives her barely enough warning to duck into the nearest empty room, pulling Lucifer in with her. Of course the nearest empty room turns out to be an overcrowded supply closet, but it will have to do for now. The pawn shop should have been completely empty at this hour, though it seemed someone else - several someones, by the sound of it - had the same idea. Most likely her suspects, probably tipped off that the police were snooping around. They'd want to clear out the illegal weapons cache before the judge issued the warrant in the morning.

Too bad Lucifer didn't seem to believe in warrants. Chloe had tried to explain probable cause to him, which only resulted in Lucifer 'discovering' that the lock on front door was already broken. Which then meant they were obligated to investigate the premises, and Chloe was forced to endure Lucifer's smug grin. Up until they were suddenly joined by their suspects, obviously sneaking in through the back. Which is how they've ended up trapped inside a closet, while a crime is currently ongoing on the other side of the door.

"This is asinine!" Lucifer whispers harshly from where he is standing unnecessarily close. The closet isn't _that_ small. "We could be out there now, catching the bad guys!"

"And you could be getting shot again! I've called for backup, we just need to wait. Be patient." Chloe intends to put a little distance between them, but she doesn't want to risk being overheard by whoever is outside. And Lucifer apparently seems intent on having a conversation despite everything that's going on.

"Patience is a virtue, Detective, and I am as un-virtuous as they come." The room is pitch-black, but she can actually hear him grinning.

"How about embracing some self-preservation, then?" She bites back.

"Every moment I stand here, the reputation of my club, my livelihood, suffers. How is that self-preservation?"

"Are you serious? You're worried about Lux's reputation right now?" She will never understand this man's priorities, nor complete lack of concern for his own safety. "Besides, isn't Lux sort of famous for being a den of iniquity? How much worse could it get?"

"Iniquity yes, murder no. I prefer to stick to the more pleasurable sins." Somehow he's moved to stand directly behind her, taking obvious delight in the way she shivers at the feel of his voice against her ear. The effect of it is only enhanced by the darkness and adrenaline still coursing through her. He presses even closer, one hand reaching out to brush against her arm. Her leather jacket does little to mute the sensation

"Well, if you insist we wait around in this dull little closet, perhaps we could at least make this a little more interesting…" He continues stroking over her arm, as if the implications aren't already made perfectly clear by his tone.

"Seriously? There's at least half a dozen probably heavily armed men right outside this door and this is what you're thinking about?" She won't admit she's thinking about it too now, or that she's able to think of little else every time he gets this close or brings out what she's started to think of as his bedroom voice. But Lucifer is getting to know her a little too well.

"Come now, Detective - if a little danger wasn't a turn on for you, you wouldn't be in this line of work."

"Or maybe I just want to help people. Ever think about that?" She crosses her arms defiantly across her chest, but does nothing to dislodge the hand still stroking her upper arm.

"Then you could have been a doctor or a social worker. But no, instead you chose to chase after the bad guys. You _l_ _ike_ doing this. The stakeouts, the pursuits, the _danger_ …"

"Well then I guess we have that in common." She intends it as a joke, to tease Lucifer for his obvious enjoyment of the precarious situation he's put them in. But it rings strangely true, even to her own ears. Despite their myriad differences, they do share this. And his unexpected obsession with honesty, though lately Lucifer has been far more forthcoming with her than the reverse. Chloe can't even admit to him she considers her odd partner to be something more like a friend now, rather than just pain in the ass - current situation notwithstanding. She likes to pretend it's to just to keep from inflating his already massive ego, but the truth is she's a little scared. Scared that he's really just in this for the danger, for the thrill of the chase or whatever, and that he's far more interested in these things than in her. But occasionally he'll look at her in a way that makes her think he might be feeling more than either of them lets on.

Chloe is distracted from her current train of thought by the barest brush of lips against her hair. It's far too chaste for seduction, and it makes something tighten within her chest. They remain in stillness for a few more moment, before she can feel Lucifer becoming restless with their silence.

"You know, I find it very interesting that you never actually denied being turned on by this - the two of us trapped together, fate uncertain…" His words are mostly teasing - the situation isn't quite _that_ dire - but beneath it all he's perhaps more serious that he was before. He's certainly not joking about taking advantage of their closeness, as he ducks his head down to nose delicately behind her ear, stubble scraping carefully against her neck. There's no possible way he could actually know what that spot does to her, but it's making it harder for her to remember the reasons they shouldn't be doing this right now.

"Backup's on the way, we need to stay alert." Even as she says this, she's tilting her head to offer him better access.

"I think you will find I am _very_ alert, Detective." With the heat of him melded perfectly against her back, it's impossible to miss his meaning. A pair of footsteps moves dangerously close to their hiding spot, but Lucifer never ceases running nose and lips along the column of her neck, and Chloe has to clamp down on the little noises that try and escape her.

Whoever it was walks right past their door, and Lucifer takes the opportunity to move his free hand around her waist. She's managed to uncross her arms, but her right arm still lingers near her gun, in case they're discovered here. Her left, she's surprised to find, is gripping Lucifer's forearm, though she makes no move to stop him as his fingers slip beneath the hem of her shirt. A soft sound of contentment makes it's way from her throat, and he apparently takes this as a sign of encouragement, his other hand drifting to trace at the low neckline of her blouse. She has no idea exactly how far he intends to go with this, but she can't help arching into his touch, pressing herself more fully into him.

"Admit it, at least I make things more interesting." She can actually feel his low voice running through her, and she doesn't even try to hide her shudder.

"It certainly hasn't been boring with you." She manages to breathe out.

"And…?" He questions with a little nip to her earlobe, making Chloe gasp a little too loudly. She pauses to make sure they weren't heard before she answers.

"And I don't actually hate working with you." There, she said it. "It's kind of nice, sometimes."

It was a little more than she intended to admit, but more surprising is the way Lucifer immediately turns her around to face him in a move that leaves her feels pleasantly dizzy. The room is nearly black but she can sense him staring at her through the darkness. She's not sure what he's looking for, but he seems to find it, and the she can feel him leaning closer to her. Chloe realizes that Lucifer intends to kiss her - and moreover that she actually _wants_ him to. Which is completely ridiculous because this is such terrible timing, and she still doesn't even know what he really feels for her. But she can almost imagine how he looks right now, easily picturing look he gives her whenever he thinks she doesn't notice, and she's suddenly thankful that Lucifer is still gripping her arms because she's actually feeling a little unsteady right now. Chloe tilts her head back to meet him, a little uncertain but so very ready, when she's startled by insistent buzzing of her phone against her thigh. She nearly groans as she's forced to pulls back enough to lift the bright screen between them.

"Please tell me that's not Detective Douche…" Lucifer sounds almost pained.

"He says backup's just outside, so we need to be ready." They reluctantly untangle, and she's not sure if she loves or hates Dan in that moment.

* * *

They quickly surround the men, including their murder suspect, just as they're nearly finished loading the illegal firearms onto their truck. Which thankfully means most of their armory is packed up, but there's no avoiding the ensuing gunfight. The murderer manages to slip away in the chaos, and Chloe is forced to pursue him on foot. Lucifer isn't far behind her, apparently still wanting his revenge for what happened outside his club.

Their suspect climbs onto the scaffolding that's blocking the alleyway, loose planks and debris barely slowing him down as he races down to the other end. But Chloe manages to step right through the makeshift flooring, ankle twisting painfully as she drops down. She expects Lucifer will catch up with him first now, and she's a little worried about what he'll do to the guy without her there to stop him. But Lucifer surprises her by abandoning the chase to rush to her side.

"Are you hurt?" With startling gentleness he helps ease her foot out of the gap, carefully inspecting her ankle for any signs of obvious injury.

"I'm fine, Lucifer."

"You certainly are not." And then he takes her by surprise once again by lifting her up, carrying her bridal style from the scaffolding and in the complete wrong direction.

"Lucifer, put me down! I can still walk on my own, and our guy is getting away!"

"I will not, you can not, and he won't." He answers each in turn, gripping her small frame more tightly as she tries to get down. She knows she can't actually chase the guy down with an injured an ankle, but she's not some damsel in distress here!

The situation is made even more embarrassing by Dan's sudden appearance. He's obviously followed her back here, and is clearly shocked to see her in Lucifer's arms. He also looks more than a little angry, but Lucifer doesn't even bother explaining the obvious.

"He went through the back, if you circle around you can probably head him off before he reaches his vehicle." Lucifer actually sounds like a real cop right then, and it's nearly enough to diffuse the situation. Chloe even stops fighting his hold on her. She ignores Dan's looks as she gingerly wraps her arms around Lucifer's neck, under the pretense of not wanting to fall. Not that Lucifer would ever let her.

"Is she…?" Dan's still staring at Lucifer, and Chloe is not loving being talked about as if she's incapacitated.

"She's fine, just go." Chloe commands. With one last look that tells her she hasn't heard the last about what's happening here, Dan finally obeys. And she doesn't miss the way Lucifer's arms have tightened possessively around her, though she decides not to comment on it.

She doesn't even argue when Lucifer carries her down the street to where her car is parked, setting her carefully on the hood before kneeling in front of her. With the same gentleness he helps her out of her boot, lifting her ankle to get a better look at it under the streetlamp. Chloe can see from here the way it's already starting to swell, and she can't hide her wince as she tries to move her foot. Lucifer's palm is cupped around her heel, prevent further movement, while his thumb runs soothing circles around her swollen ankle.

The detective is struck by the realization that Lucifer has just abandoned his plans for revenge, has even given the bad guy over to _Dan_ of all people, just sit here and fuss over a minor sprain. Something warm unfurls in her chest, and suddenly she's so happy they were interrupted before because this is the moment she was looking for.

Chloe enjoys Lucifer's surprise at the way she roughly tugs him up to meet her, lips gentle despite the way her fists curl around his lapels. But he responds to her kiss almost instantly, one hand moving to cup the back of her head while the other never lets up with the slow circles at her ankle. His lips move softly against her own, and it's unexpectedly sweet. And far too brief. Still feeling a bit shaky over the everything that's just happened - a sensation that might now be more attributable to Lucifer than to anything else - she reluctantly pulls back. She allows her forehead to rest against his own and they both struggle to regain their breath. There's so much she wants to say right now, but all she manages is a soft 'thank you'.

"You're quite welcome, Detective." She can feel the way his lips curl up into a smile, a much softer one than she's used to seeing on him, and she knows there's a mirroring expression on her own face. They're finally forced apart by the arrival of the ambulance, as Lucifer insists on getting her checked out by a professional. This time she isn't even surprised when he scoops her up again, and she allows her head to rest easily against his shoulder as they make their way over to the paramedics.


End file.
